Reye's syndrome. A diagnosis occasionally first made at medicolegal autopsy

Abstract

Reye's syndrome, a condition characterized pathologically by cerebral edema and fatty change of the liver, has been described extensively in the medical literature as a disease manifested clinically by encephalopathy and coma. This is a report of five cases of Reye's syndrome occurring as sudden, unexpected deaths outside of the hospital. In each of these cases, there is a vague history of a previous viral illness. A history of aspirin intake is inconstant. Each child either had no significant past illnesses or there was a history of repeated upper respiratory infections. The classic progression of signs and symptoms usually described for Reye's syndrome, where vomiting usually precedes encephalopathy and coma, was not present in any of the cases. Results of autopsies showed the characteristic findings for Reye's syndrome, and additional tests showed no other explanation for the deaths. This manifestation of the disease is seldom described in medical literature, but it may be encountered occasionally by the medical examiner.